Our partners

The following institutions have continuously been working with pastoralists and are partners of the Hub:

TheCoalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP) is a voluntary and informal advocacy coalition of European and Eastern African pastoralist organizations, groups and experts. They collaborate to encourage African and European governments and intergovernmental organisations such as the African and European Union to explicitly recognize and support pastoralism in the drylands of Eastern Africa. Currently, 24 member organisations from Europe and 6 partner organisations from Eastern Africa are closely collaborating. Contact: Koen Van Troos (focal point at VSF-Belgium)

The Centre for Sustainable Development (CENESTA) is a non-profit civil society organization that re-empowers indigenous peoples and local communities in Iran and beyond by promoting and supporting appropriate recognition of Indigenous peoples' and Community Conserved territories and Areas (ICCAs) that emphasize nature conservation, community rights and sustainable livelihoods. CENESTA is a member of IUCN, UNINOMAD (Union of Indigenous Nomadic Tribes of Iran), ICCA Consortium, Global Forest Coalition and is accredited to the 3 Rio Multilateral Environmental Conventions. Contact: Taghi Farvar

CIRAD is the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions. CIRAD regional offices conduct joint operations with more than 90 countries. Its regional research and training platforms produce locally relevant knowledge, contribute to innovation processes, and strengthen the capacity of tropical societies. It has been researching pastoral systems for several decades, including ecological and socio-economic studies. Contact: Alexandre Ickowicz or Abdrahmane Wane

The Coalition of Pastoralist Civil Society Organizations (COPACSO) was formed in 2005 to advocate for the socio-economic interests of pastoralists in Uganda. It is an umbrella organisation of 16 members operating in the whole of Uganda. COPACSO carries out advocacy and lobby activities with the Ugandan government, the East African Community, the African Union, European Union and UN agencies to ensure pastoralist development issues remain on different agendas. Its focus is largely on livestock, land and climate change resilience issues. Contact: Benjamin Mutambukah

The Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (The Global Agenda) is a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership (MSP) formed by leading experts from a variety of sectors who provide an open and inclusive platform for dialogue and consensus building on global development issues related to livestock. The 2016-2018 Action Plan of The Global Agenda takes the Sustainable Development Goals as the reference framework for its actions and orientate them through its working areas and networks to deliver results. Contact: Eduardo Arce Diaz

The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 European countries. The EU became the first and only Member Organisation of FAO in 1991. Since then, the EU has gradually become FAO's most important resource partner. The increased collaboration is a reflection of a strengthened partnership that has broadened over the years and that now covers many areas of FAO's work, including sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry; food security and nutrition; information systems and statistics; food safety; resilience; land governance; livestock and animal health. Contact: Roberto Aparicio Martin

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan – and based in Kathmandu, Nepal. ICIMOD works to develop an economically and environmentally sound mountain ecosystem to improve the living standards of mountain populations and to sustain vital ecosystem services for the billions of people living downstream – now, and for the future. Contact: Muhammad Ismail

The IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD) aims to promote, facilitate and advocate for people-centred sustainable development of livestock and complementary livelihood resources development in arid and semi-arid areas of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region. It compliments efforts of IGAD member states to sustainably generate wealth and employment. Some of the main activities of ICPALD include promoting the elaboration and harmonization of policies, facilitating research and innovation, acting as an interface between various stakeholders, facilitating knowledge management and promoting capacity building. Contact: Muchina Munyua

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is mandated to enable poor rural people to improve their food security and nutrition, raise their incomes and strengthen their resilience. It targets pastoralists (man and women) through development projects aiming at building their capacity and access to services, facilitating linkage to market and improving rangeland management. IFAD promotes partnership with international, national institutions and Civil Society Organisations involved in pastoralism to promote stronger and more widespread understanding of rangeland environments and pastoral livelihoods and better use of that knowledge to inform policy and practice [read more]. Contact: Antonio Rota

The International Institute for Environment and Development works on pastoralism focuses on enabling pastoralists and their advocates in eastern Africa to: 1) Challenge misconceptions that pastoralism is an outdated, unproductive and backward livelihood system; 2) Mainstream knowledge on pastoralism into the teaching curricula of universities and technical colleges; 3) Enable local and national governments to fund public good investments that support pastoral livelihoods and economies; and 4) Advocate at the global level for policies and laws in support of pastoralism. Contact: Ced Hesse

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works at the crossroads of livestock and poverty, bringing high-quality science and capacity-building to bear on poverty reduction and sustainable development. ILRI is a non-profit-making and non-governmental organization working in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and China. ILRI is a member of the Consortium of CGIAR Centers that conducts food and environmental research to help alleviate poverty and increase food security while protecting the natural resource base. Contact: Polly Ericksen

The International Land Coalition (ILC) is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organisations working together to put people at the centre of land governance. The shared goal of ILC’s 207 members is to realise land governance for and with people at country level, responding to the needs and protecting the rights of women, men and communities who live on and from the land. A number of ILC members, with the facilitation of ILRI, have come together in the Rangelands Initiative, which aims to build collaboration towards people-centred land governance in rangelands. Contact: m.taylor@landcoalition.org

Inter-réseaux Développement rural is a multi-stakeholder platform of institutions and individuals engaged in rural development in the Global South, mainly in West and Central Africa as well as in Europe. With over 10.000 subscribers, Inter-réseaux’s mission is to give access to information, to facilitate dialogue and debate, and to capture thoughts and experiences on various topics (agricultural policies, livestock and pastoralism, sector organization, agricultural extension services…). Contact: Joel Teyssier

The International Rangeland Congress promotes the exchange of scientific and technical information on all aspects of rangelands: research, planning, development, management, extension, education and training. An international congress is held every 3-5 years for the purpose of presenting papers and reports, organizing symposia and conducting pre- and post-congress tours. Each congress provides an innovative and multidisciplinary programme that challenges values and paradigms on rangelands. Contact: James O'Rourke

The League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development(LPP) supports pastoral societies and other small-scale livestock keepers to pursue their own vision of development through research, technical support, advisory services and advocacy. LPP is the initiator and global coordinator of the LIFE Network which advocates for community based conservation of animal genetic resources and Livestock Keepers' Rights. Contact person: Ilse Köhler-Rollefson

MARAG was established at the time when pastoralists were not recognized as development actors and there was no other organisation working exclusively with them. Those initial steps today have shaped into a movement of the pastoralists in Gujarat, India and outside. MARAG works on a three pillar approach - right to governance, education and livelihoods - to fulfil its mission. Working directly all over Gujarat, MARAG also facilitates networks and alliances nationally and globally. Unfortunately, the second oldest occupation of the world, pastoralism is declining and on the verge of extinction in many places. MARAG continues to strive with the pastoralists and their livestock. Contact: Neeta Pandya

The Mountain Partnership was launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002 to support positive change in mountain areas. It is a UN alliance of governments and civil society organizations dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world. Presently, it includes 272 members: 57 countries, 16 intergovernmental organizations and 199 major group organizations. It is supported by a Secretariat based at FAO. It works on advocacy, capacity development, joint action and communications. Contact: Thomas Hofer

Réseau Billital Maroobè (RBM) is a regional network of livestock keepers and herders who defend the interests of their members in social, economic, political and cultural affairs. The idea of RBM was born in 2002 and the network was created in 2003 by three organizations in Niger (AREN), Mali (TASSAGHT) and Burkina Faso (CRUS) as a platform to influence public policies to defend the interests of mobile livestock keepers. Contact: Blama Jallo

Slow Foodis an international, non-profit, grassroots organization that aims to promote good, clean and fair food for everyone through a network of producers, artisans, farmers, cooks, researchers and activists defending, fostering and educating the world on agrobiodiversity and food cultures. It has over 100,000 members worldwide and is active in 150 countries. Thanks to its projects and initiatives, Slow Food involves millions of people around the world. Contact person: Ludovico Roccatello

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), together with FAO, IUCN and WISP and several other partners, are committed to recognizing and supporting extensive pastoralism as one of the most sustainable food production systems especially in marginal lands, that can enable pastoralist communities to contribute to safeguarding natural capital and supporting a greener economy in more than a quarter of the world’s land area. Contact: Nauman Haque

The Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (VSF) International is a network of 11 non-profit organisations working all over the world with hundreds of projects in the field of livestock keeping, animal health, animal welfare and agriculture production, to support small-scale farmers and pastoralists. VSF International supports pastoral communities by improving access to health services for animals and humans, and by developing multi-actor governance systems based on local communities to facilitate access to water and natural resources, to spread the grazing pressure, to master pastoral tenure, to improve infrastructure and prevent conflicts.Contact: info@vsf-international.org

The World Alliance of Mobile Indigenous People (WAMIP) is a global alliance of nomadic peoples and communities practicing various forms of mobility as a livelihood strategy while conserving biological diversity and using natural resources in a sustainable way. WAMIP is currently hosted in MARAG, an NGO in Gujarat, India. The mission of WAMIP is to assist and empower mobile indigenous peoples throughout the world to maintain their mobile lifestyles in pursuit of livelihoods and cultural identity, to sustainably manage their common property resources and to obtain the full respect of their rights. Contact: wamip.global@gmail.com

The World Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) is a global network, advocacy and capacity building initiative that seeks a greater recognition of the importance of sustainable pastoral development for both poverty reduction and environmental management. WISP works through consultative global, regional and national partnerships to promote knowledge sharing that leads to policies, legal mechanisms and support systems for sustainable pastoral development. Contact: wisp@iucn.org

YURTA Association works with organizations that support pastoralists and other mobile indigenous people both at the regional and global levels. We are currently working on high-altitude ecosystems, especially in the High Asia region, for the development of indigenous initiatives focussing on economic upliftment, cultural dissemination and international networking. Our work is based on the globally accepted principles enlisted in the Rio+20 United Nations General Assembly Resolution on Sustainable Mountain Development (2012). We are a registered non-profit association based in Spain. Contact: Santiago José Carralero Benítez.